TiEcon Kerala 2025 call for transformative entrepreneurial mindset

Kerala’s entrepreneurial community has been urged to embrace a transformative mindset to unlock the State’s full potential. Addressing the valedictory session of TiEcon Kerala 2025 in Kumarakom, APM Mohammed Hanish, Principal Secretary, Industries, called for dismantling long-standing social barriers, strengthening cultural and social capital, and nurturing an environment where ideas can evolve without constraints.

He noted that Kerala has undergone rapid reforms in recent years—particularly in ease of doing business, industrial policy, digital governance, and startup incubation—placing the State in a strong position to attract unprecedented levels of investment and entrepreneurial participation. But for these policy shifts to translate into lasting impact, he emphasised, a parallel shift in mindset is essential across society and institutions.

Key priorities highlighted

• Build social and cultural capital: Encourage communities and networks that support collaboration, risk-taking, and the free exchange of ideas.
• Advance administrative transformation: Pair policy reforms with mindset change across all layers of governance to ensure transparency, faster responses, and genuine decentralisation.
• Strengthen skills and employability: Prioritise market-linked skills and vocational readiness from the school level to build a workforce capable of powering the next phase of innovation.
• Deepen industry–academia collaboration: Align curricula, research, and internships with market needs to accelerate technology transfer and entrepreneurship.
• Scale the startup base: Support the State’s ambition of nurturing 6,000 startups with targeted incubation, mentoring, and access to capital.
• Think global from day one: Encourage entrepreneurs to pair bold ideas with disciplined execution and the confidence to take local innovations to global markets.

Hanish underscored that policy is only one part of the equation; the other is the collective will to experiment, learn fast, and scale what works. He called TiE Kerala a vital platform that brings together creativity, knowledge, and opportunity, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to nurturing a vibrant, inclusive, and future-ready entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Voices from TiEcon Kerala 2025

The valedictory session featured reflections from TiE Kerala leadership and community members, including Damodar Avanoor, Vivek Krishna Govind (President, TiE Kerala), Geemon Korah (Vice President, TiE Kerala), and Divya Thalakkalatt (Executive Director). Their remarks highlighted the strong momentum built during TiEcon Kerala 2025, the growing maturity of the State’s startup ecosystem, and the importance of mentorship, peer learning, and investor engagement in the months ahead.

Speakers noted that Kerala’s unique strengths—high human development indices, widespread digital adoption, and a diaspora network with global exposure—offer a strategic foundation for building scalable enterprises. The path forward, they suggested, lies in converting these advantages into competitive products and services, catalysed by streamlined policy support and a culture that celebrates entrepreneurship.

Building the future economy

A recurring theme at the conclave was the need to look beyond traditional sectors and invest in innovation-driven areas such as healthtech, edtech, agritech, clean energy, deep tech, and creative industries. Participants underscored the importance of targeted support for women, youth, and first-time founders, along with better access to early-stage funding, market linkages, and export readiness.

Circular economy insight

Abhay Deshpande, Founder and CEO of Recykal, offered an insightful view of how India’s circular economy is evolving. In his talk, “The Circular Entrepreneur: From Building Commerce to Closing the Loop,” he explained that waste is no longer merely a burden—it is a valuable resource enabling new business models. By leveraging technology, traceability, and ecosystem partnerships, entrepreneurs can convert material streams into revenue, reduce environmental impact, and build resilient supply chains.

His perspective reinforced the broader message of TiEcon Kerala 2025: the next wave of value creation will come from reimagining systems—whether administrative, educational, industrial, or environmental—and from entrepreneurs who are ready to lead that change.

Looking ahead

As Kerala advances its reform agenda, the State’s startup community is being called to match policy with purpose: cultivate a resilient mindset, build capabilities that align with global markets, and collaborate across institutions to accelerate outcomes. With sustained effort, mentorship, and capital, TiE Kerala and its partners aim to convert the momentum of TiEcon Kerala 2025 into tangible growth, jobs, and innovation that benefit the wider society.